Matt Riley hitting college in a BIG way

Matt Riley Perhaps it's only fitting that Wachusett Regional High School graduate Matt Riley, a 7-foot mountain of a man, will in all likelihood grow into an even better athlete in college than he was in high school.

Thanks to his imposing physical stature, the Holden resident left a mark on Wachusett sports not easily forgotten. Riley was a varsity football standout until a foot injury put him on the sidelines for his senior year.

His most successful high school sport, however, proved to be track, where he carved a nifty niche as a standout in the shot put and discus.

Fast forward to the summer of 2009 and Riley finds himself on the verge of becoming a two-sport athlete at the University of New Hampshire. The foot has healed and Riley is optimistic about a college football career at UNH, something he had always hoped for after talking to numerous schools prior to the injury. Riley also plans on continuing in track and will spice up his throwing repertoire by taking up the hammer and the 30-pound weight.

Riley graduated from WRHS in 2008 and was class president his sophomore, junior and senior years. Heeding suggestions from several college football coaches, Riley opted to attend Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire as a post-graduate student. With his foot injury sufficiently healed, Riley participated in football and track.

"Even if I hadn't broken my foot, deciding to take a year and be a post-graduate was one of the best decisions that I've ever made," Riley said. "It turned out to be another year for me to grow physically and mentally. There was no rush for me to go right to college."

Phillips Exeter, which Riley explained is mostly a prep school for Ivy League institutions, proved to be interesting. The academics were demanding, the school day running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, football and track practice would take place in the middle of the day, between classes. A bit different than life as a student-athlete at Wachusett.

"But it was a great experience," Riley said. "I met tons of people from all around the world and our football team beat the number one team in New England. We went 6-3 overall and had a good team."

Riley wanted to be a part of that team. He lost weight in the summer of 2008 and attended a 10-week agility camp at Holy Cross. The effort to alter his body proved successful. So much so, that the Phillips coaching staff moved Riley to the noseguard slot on defense.

He excelled at indoor track, reaching the 50-foot mark in the shot put, a significant improvement over his best heaves at Wachusett. Riley's top throw in the discus, coming via an informal in-house competition, was around 140 feet.

"All the training that I went through in the various venues definitely helped me improve in both football and track in college," Riley said.

It also laid the groundwork for Riley's journey to UNH. Riley will likely red-shirt (sit out) his first year in football. He will have his own trainer and probably lose additional weight to be ready to play spring football.

Track, on the other hand, is a sport Riley will be starting right away. That includes throwing the hammer, an event that is not allowed in high school. Riley will also try the weight throw, an arduous endeavor that involves heaving a 30-pound weight.

"They think I'll be good in the 30-pound weight because of my height, strength and leverage," Riley said. "And the shot and discus will be different because they go up in weight in college. Outdoor track, I'll probably be doing all four, and that should be interesting."

Riley has already thrown the heavier shot put against college athletes as a post-grad, going against tough throwers from Boston University and Duke University. Riley came in 25th place out of 55 throwers at the BU Invitational.

Riley basically just picked up a hammer one day and swung it around his head. The hammer's weight (16-pounds) didn't faze him, and he liked the motion. One-on-one coaching that focuses on technique, continued work with a trainer, and a careful monitoring of his diet should help him in all his events, Riley said.

Though he has much to look forward to, the prep school experience remains special to Riley. He noted that two ex-football teammates are going to be starters at Brown University, and another is off to Southern Methodist University. Riley himself knocked heads with opponents who will be linemen at Michigan and Notre Dame. Good prep school competition in both football and track will serve him well at UNH, he reasoned.

Phillips Exeter didn't change Riley's good-guy offthe field demeanor. He won a special Good Citizen/ Humanitarian Award (he received a similar honor in high school) and cultivated numerous friendships. At graduation he met Robert De Niro, whose niece was in Riley's class.

Riley plans to major in communications at UNH and is interested in either television or radio broadcasting. He's excited to move up to the next level, both on and off the playing fields.

"I think that I'll reach my highest peak, or highest potential, as an athlete in college," he said. "We'll see what happens."